Gamers First has Reportedly Not Paid Players or Staff
Reports have emerged that Gamers First (G1) has yet to pay players or staff prize money to their Rocket League team, Women's Carball League (WCB), and more, dating back months ago. These reports began surfacing on August 3 over social media from several players and staff.
G1 acquired WCB from Kansas City Pioneers back in February when KCP was reportedly unable to pay their staff and winnings to teams. The debt build-up was too great, which led G1 to take over. According to HazzaProd on Twitter, all debt was paid off by G1, and they were "committed" to keeping the WCB running.
According to Jeff Simpkins, the COO at Resolve, G1 has yet to pay any of the prize money teams won since they took over the WCB, and the debt is greater than anything KCP has owed. When asked when this will be resolved, Simpkins was told there is no timeline.
Since G1 took over WCB, we are yet to receive any prize money. They now owe us more than KCP ever did as we've won every EU event.
— Jeff Simpkins (@HereLiesJeff) August 3, 2023
I've been asking when we're likely to receive this, and I've been told that there is no timeline for us receiving it.
According to various threads, this doesn't stop at just the teams. This goes all the way to the entire WCB staff, including casters. They either haven't been paid or it gets received very late.
The Rocket League G1 Invitational Tournament Champions are also still awaiting their winnings, which took place eight months ago. Finlay "rise." Ferguson Tweeted that no one on his team has "seen a cent." G1's Rocket League team is currently competing in Rocket League Championship Series this weekend.
i dont mean to jump on the bandwagon but we won the g1 invitational tournament almost 8 months ago and none of us have seen a cent of that @G1Official pay up pls :)
— KC rise. (@riseRL_) August 3, 2023
On top of all that, according to Conor "Zee9" Scannell, G1 hasn't paid their own staff and is letting go of their talent, withholding what they're owed. He goes on to say that either "employees eventually get made whole" or are "given severance" from G1.
But the severance comes with terms. They're given a "termination contract" that contains "intimating" legal vernacular that includes "NDAs as well as specific clauses on not discussing trade secrets," according to Zee9.
The Texas-based company was founded by former NFL defensive back Kenny Vaccaro in December 2021. As we get more details, we will update the story.
Zack is the Publishing Manager for Esports Illustrated. He grew up playing videos as a kid, mainly sports games and the Call of Duty series. Before his work at Esports Illustrated, Zack published content for the NFL Draft for various sites since 2017, including partner sites on FanNation and has appeared on various shows across the country and videos across the FanNation group. Outside of work, Zack enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. He loves playing football and video games with his son, taking his two daughters to get their favorite treats, and binge-watching shows with his wife. Zack began covering Esports at the end of 2022, mainly covering the Call of Duty League.